DISCOVERIES
CAVES
World’s largest
cave-dwelling fish
discovered in India
The white, eyeless fish was found deep
inside a network of limestone caves by
subterranean explorers in Meghalaya,
northeast India, in January this year. At
40cm long, it’s the largest cave-dwelling
fish ever discovered...
Meghalaya,northeast India
- The researchers’ interest
in exploring the area was
first piqued by locals, who
reported seeing an unusual
fish in this cave – Krem
Chympe. Totalling 10.5km in
length, it’s the fifth-longest
cave in India, and is home to
a 3.5km-long subterranean
river and a series of giant
underground lakes. This
picture shows Simone
Buchmann wading through
the water towards Rich
Hudson, as they prepare for
another trip underground. - Krem Chympe features
more than 50 naturally
formed dams, one of which
can be seen in the
foreground of this image.
Torches held by Nicky
Bayley and Marie-José
Gilbert create an eerie glow. - Krem Ladaw, the cave in
which the team found the
fish, has three intimidating
vertical pitches. During the
monsoon season, rainfall
makes passage through the
caves impossible.- This image shows Bayley
catching one of the blind
cave fish as Dr Dan Harries,
a marine biologist based at
Heriot-Watt Universit y,
Edinburgh, watches on.
Although the fish is eyeless,
it does appear to have some
ability to sense light. - During the expedition,
the team collected three
eyeless fish from Krem
Ladaw. The fish is thought
to be related to the
surface-dwelling golden
mahseer, a type of carp,
albeit lacking the latter’s
eyes and pigmentation. The
fish could be partway
through evolving into an
entirely new species.
ROBBIE SHONE / SHONEPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
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